Meet the Team

Every year I write a blog about Hal's teammates and share some stuff about each of them.  This year was a blast.

I made a bunch of new "mom" friends, and the girls....well, they were spectacularlish.

Before nationals, we took to Cocoa Beach and while there were those of us loathe to go into shark infested, flesh eating water (cough, me)...these girls jumped right in.  They kidded Hallie for her "Grandma" swimsuit, but they really are great friends.  (We are missing Jordan and Sarah in this picture....later flights)

Malia is from Edmond Memorial.  She is a middle blocker and just a wizard in shoes.  I watched her make so many points serving, she would bring us back from the point of no return, over and over.   She is quick on the block and has a mean slide.  Her mom looks like a movie star, and her dad is one of the nicest guys I have ever met.  She has an older brother who is a BEAST, and has a full ride scholarship to play football in Texas.  She has a baby brother who is in my "Poptart mom" club, and hangs with me at games. They also have the hardest last name in the universe to pronounce, but it's fun listening to everyone try.   Love this 6 foot tall girl and her fam.

Jordan is from Edmond North.  This powerhouse may be a shorty, but she is deadly.  Her serve can knock people over, and when she attacks from the back row, ain't NOBODY going to be able to return it.  ESPN raved over her defensive ability, too. She is HILARIOUS, and can laugh at herself and is a self proclaimed "Creeper" on all things internet.  Her mom and dad are seriously the sweetest people.  And she has a little sister, that is also, in my "Poptart mom" club.  I had my kids with me at one of the tournaments, and this particular tournament had a fun kids area that younger sibs could hang in while the LONG day progresses.  There was no way I could afford it, and this sweet family bought both the boys weekend passes.  Precious gifts...that's what the Kramers are.

Ryan is from Norman, tho she goes to the "other" Norman HS.  She is our BEAST, standing at 6'3".  She is one blocking machine.  I think I see sweat gather on the brows of the girls that she stands in front of at the net.  It is a wonderful thing.  Nice side note....her cousin from Texas answered my ad for babysitters at OU, and kept the lovelies for months before we realized they were related.  I adore her mom, and her dad takes care of most of Norman's fur babies (Norman's best vet).  Her little bro is Hallie's "Bae" and also the president of my "Poptart Mom" club.   We took cover in their home during the tornado season, waiting out the incoming storm, knowing we could take cover in their storm shelter in an instant, if need be.....it's good to have the Emmert's in your corner. 

Ahhhh, Ericka, from Edmond Santa Fe HS.   I've known this sweet face for a couple of years now.  She and Hal tried their hand at sand volleyball together, and came out of it good friends.  She is our setter, and starts us off serving...because Whoa....this kid can serve.  And set....And hit.   She played the Indianapolis tournament with a burst appendix.  Yeah, you heard me.  She's a warrior.  Her parentals are two of my dear friends, and their love for my vietnamese children....I'm hard pressed to find anyone out there that loves them more than the Scholls.   I tried to keep her mom in the loop at nationals, (her not being able to go) by literally play by playing the games in message form.  I'd be absent for a minute and I'd get a text..... "Well????????"   It's ok.....she'd do it for me. 

Meet Sarah...our outside hitter from Tulsa.  Hal met Sarah when they played on the same High Performance team last year.  The number one thing that is the coolest about Sarah (outside of her great hair), is her lack of ego.  She has no idea how cool she is.  She is a stinking beast at outside, blocker, cheerleader......and you should hear her play the piano.  I mean...I play the piano, and not much impresses me.   This kid knocked my socks off.  And she can sing, and rap.....ok, the rapping is more funny than anything.  Her mom is so quiet, but one of the kindest people I have ever met, and her dad is SO TALL, and loves Hallie.  He would always come up to me after every game and proceed to talk about individual plays that she did well.  I'm like, "I think we won" and he's "That one block on the push to the outside....." and seriously I'm like...."We won".  You see what I'm saying?  And her gorgeous siblings.  Whoa.  The girls would play better when her older brothers were there.  They brought a gorgeous "energy" factor to our girls play. Glad these girls got to play on the same team again.  They are solid gold together. 

Next we have Kassidy, she plays at Edmond Santa Fe, also.   She is the other right side hitter (shares the position with Hal).  This girl can H.I.T.  I think she may have broken noses this year.  She is also a GIANT goofball.  Smart as a whip, on the drive from Indy, Hallie had her and Ryan answering all her homework questions.  It's nice to have smart friends.  She stands over 6 foot tall also.  Her mom saved my life in Indy, when my neck and back got so stoved up, I was a vertigo'd dizzy mess.  Her mom is maybe 5'2 and 100 pounds, and she crawled all over my back and neck and popped and massaged and fixed me right up.  She is a chiropractic genius.  Her dad is the only person on the team I haven't bonded with.  I think I'm intimidated by his hair.  It is so much better than mine will ever be.  But her grandpa? and grandma?  We are pals.  There was NO ONE I liked sitting next to in a game, better than her grandpa, Jim.  He calls it like he sees it, and that is my kind of announcer.  Crazy excited to see where this kid's talent will take her.  I hear she swings a mean golf club too.

This beauty queen is Kadie Grace.  She is the setter for Hal's rotation, and that little tiny body can dish a serve out like nobody's business.  She is model gorgeous, and is so kind and so goofy to her teammates, and she keeps them smiling and having fun, and that takes a lot to make that work, when you are in intense game modes.  Her dad is the assistant coach, and I think he only broke about 4-5 pair of glasses this year, twisting and throwing them to the floor.  He challenged Hallie as hard, if not harder, than anyone has to this point in her short volleyball career, and believes in her without question.  Her mama....well, you have to get your model looks from someone, and since they clearly didn't come from her dad...(lol)...her mom is a H.O.T.T.I.E.   We are kindred spirits in that their family adopted two little boys also, and we are in this adult children/raising babies thing together.  The Dewey's are a class act.  That's for sure.

Don't be fooled by this girl's tiny size.  She packs an incredible ability to dig up any kill shot from the opponent, she has pulled some of the hardest hits up off the floor I have ever seen and put it right in the setter's hands.  She exudes a calm that far exceeds her years, and she is one of the sweetest girls in the world.  Edmond North HS, Callie (in keeping with our -llie names on our team) is our Libero.  You can pronounce that anyway you wish.  She gets the pleasure of wearing a different color top than the other girls, and run in and out of the game, helping on that back row like a boss.  Her parents share the same name too, (terry and teri) and so it's easy for us to keep their names straight.  We mightily adore this sweet family.

This sweet blondie joined our team when Ericka decided to let her appendix explode in Indy.  Katlyn played for another team and was thrilled to move up and play with the giant girls.  LOL.  She did an outstanding job for stepping in and keeping her calm, playing in much more tense game situations than she was used to, and she impressed all of us with her point on serve, and great passing.  Her mom and dad are so sweet, and opened their beautiful home to us, when we were in Tulsa for regionals, and as usual, I always stick my foot in my mouth...when walking in their gorgeous pad, I offered, "I would have 25 foster kids living with me in a house this big."   Sigh.  I really should be kept at home at all times.

And last, but certainly, not least, is Alli. (Edmond Memorial)  (Hallie, Alli, Callie...come ON!) She is the University of Tulsa commit (ok, I had to throw that in, because on ESPN, that's ALL the announcer kept saying over and over) Jumps practically OVER the net when she hits the ball SO hard to the ground that it practically cracks in two.  She is a superduperstar.   She is also traveling to China this summer on a mission trip, and what I love most about her (other than her Chacos tan) is her heart for others.  She is a calm, loving kid and boy, I dig her.  Her dad bribes Hal to smash other teams in the face when playing, (we are really nice like that), and her mom shares my sarcastic view of the world, and I LOVE hanging out with her at games, and just rolling on the floor at her sharp wit.

And I guess I'd be remiss in not mentioning the guy in all the pictures, Coach Will Ethridge.  The head coach at Santa Fe HS, and father of 3 girls of his own, nothing these weirdos did even fazed him.  I could always tell when the tenseness of the game was getting to him...it would start with a forehead rub, a chin rub, and then escalate to the hat being whipped off and the top of the head rubbed, followed by the hat being mashed back on his head.  If you saw all three (the forehead rub, the chin rub, the head rub AND the hat mashed back on the head), you would know a TIMEOUT was coming, and Holy Moses.  Watch out.   Ok, not really.   Cough.   He's a great coach, he led these girls to the national championship.  Now that's saying something.  

It's going to be tough playing these girls across the net, when school ball starts up.  Thankfully, school ball only lasts 3 months, and Club lasts forever.  (Only in the $ sense)  It's been so much fun traveling, and hanging out with this chicas and their families these last 7 months.  They are an amazing power to be reckoned with together, and I pray that next year club's season is just as fun!

Here is the link for the ESPN National Championship game.

http://espn.go.com/watchespn/player/_/id/2601197/size/condensed/

It's a gut wrencher, especially that third stupid game.  :)

But my most FAVORITE part, was Hal's realization on Sunday (after everything was over)...

"Mom, we were all soooooo bummed we lost regionals, but if we hadn't lost, we wouldn't have come to Florida, and we wouldn't have made it to the ESPN center and got to experience all of that.  And I wouldn't have been in Florida with Rachel to get a bid to the beach Junior Olympics in California(in 3 weeks).   I guess, sometimes when things don't go your way, you just need to know that it's for a reason, and something better is coming."

From the mouths of teens.......Priceless.

Because Life is so much better with friends.  

Inside Out- My Review

Hallie and I took a mid-day break while sweating our faces off at the Universal Studios this past weekend, and found ourselves in the cool theatre, watching a little film called "Inside Out".

Lacey had seen it for her birthday, called it the "Most clever film ever", so I needed to see it for myself.

W.O.W.

I'm not going to say it didn't lag in a couple of places.....but for the most part.....

BRILLIANT.

Who thinks of these movies???

I urge you to go see it, your kids won't probably like it, because it's content is so clever and you really kind of need to be an adult to relate.....but DO NOT spend the money to see it in 3D.  And, it's even one that would be a good one to rent.

I for one, will be buying it, because it has soooo many quick witted one liners, that it's one I will enjoy again and again. 

The main point I took away from it was.... even though you would love only to experience JOY your whole life....sometimes sadness mixed with joy gives you the best kind of life. 

The dad "emotions" and the teenage boy "emotions" made me LOL, so just get ready.

It was really ironic that just that morning, Hallie had told me "Mom, you know, we were all so sad and disappointed in our regional loss....but without it, none of us would have been here, and we wouldn't have experienced all the incredible things we experienced here.  I met West Point and they want me, I played in the National Championships, on the computer TV,  and won a slick medal and we wouldn't have been here to play in the beach tournament and get a bid to go to the Junior Olympics in Hermosa Beach end of July!  Sometimes the hard stuff we don't understand, leads us to the very best things in our lives."

Whoa.  She's learning that at 16.  Every single  credit card I had to max out to take us, is worth it, to hear those words from my kid.  

Sometimes the Hard stuff we don't understand, leads us to the very best things in our lives. 

Sadness, mixed with Joy......it's what our lives are all about.  Embrace them all.

Pass, Set, Kill - Volleyball Nationals 2015

Hallie has been super blessed to be on several incredible volleyball teams in her short career.

This year she played with Oklahoma Peak Performance (OP2) 16-1's team, AKA Peak Smack.
They are feared and revered in the Oklahoma volleyball world.  With good reason, as 6 of the 10 (wait, 11, more on this later) stand over 6 foot tall.

Yeah.  Hal is the shrimp.

Ok, maybe not the shrimp, but she fits right in like she's a small girl.  :)  It's terrific.

This past week, we attended the AAU National Championships in Orlando, FL.  It has been an intense, crazy week.  I fear going back and living a normal existence will be quit boring-ish.  We lived in a constant adrenaline rush (not so much the first day), for 3 solid days. 

For this old broad.....wow.   Thankfully, my dear old friend, Melba Pulliam drove down from Georgia and hung out with me and Hallie and kept me calm and collected.....

She had NO idea how much her blood pressure was going to spike the 4 days I had her with us......I think she liked it, though.

Hallie and I counted and they played 34 sets of volleyball.  In 4 days.  That's a bangload of volleyball.  That's a bangload of elevated blood pressure.

They played 13 teams during those 34 sets.  It was exhilarating, exhausting and heart stopping.  I know we went in with high hopes for this tournament, but as days passed and we just kept winning... it looked like it could become a reality.

The one thing we absolutely have in spades, other than height, is heart.  And friendship.  There is no sniping on this team, no griping about other players....all of these girls truly adore each other.  It's beautiful to see.  They are all Volleyball driven, christian, SMART girls.  And their parentals ain't bad, either.

The girls only dropped one game the whole week (in 3, of course) but because they had such a huge lead in points, they always came out on top.  When we found ourselves going to the semi-finals at the very cool ESPN center on Friday, they were over the moon.  Their mantra was "One game at a time, one point at a time." and it worked for them big time.

Plus, their coach is awesome and had them playing hacky sac on the sidelines to keep them out of their heads.

Then it was time for quarterfinals.  And we beat them.  And the other's team parentals were floored, because they hadn't lost a set all weekend.   Until us.

Then it was time for semifinals.  Another team that hadn't lost a game all week....until us.  Yep, won that one too.  Hallie won $10 from one of the dads for smashing a ball in a girl's face.  That's how we roll.

Then it was time for finals.  Live streamed on ESPN, bright lights, announcers, big screens, jittery nerves.....National Championship.

Whoa.

We lost the first set 25-20, won the second set 25-23, and the that THIRD SET.......

THE CALL..... that SET THE MAMA BEARS OFF.......

Usually we can yell and act ridiculous and it's NOT ON TV.  But it was one lousy call.

And in those clutch games, one point can change the momentum, and it did....and we lost 15-13 in the third.  So disappointing.

But HOW PROUD we were of our girls.  So was Minnie. 

Medal Ceremony.  Purdy Neat.

If you want to watch the game on ESPN, here is the link
http://espn.go.com/watchespn/player/_/id/2601197/size/condensed/

It's really cool at the beginning, they talk about Hallie and then by the time she starts playing, they call her the wrong name over and over, and talk about the other teams when she makes her best plays.  All very upsetting to her sister watching in California...who text me  "These stupid announcers like the other team better".   But hey....we were on ESPN.  And an OPEN club team barely beat us.....that says A LO T.  Proud.  And West Point offered her a scholarship.   Not a bad week to be Hallie.

2nd place out of 102 teams, and that ain't too shabby.

It is not the size of a person, but the size of their heart that matters.  And in the case of volleyball, the size kind of matters, but the size of their hearts, in those big ole bodies??    Hearts of winners.


The end of a fantastic 16 year club season.

P.S.

You know I always have a "Laura"ism for every single event of my life.  So I'm sharing.
When it rains in Florida, it doesn't just rain, it falls from the sky like a cow peeing on a flat rock.  Straight down, no mercy, soaks everything in its path.  We were in the middle of one of these rains, and are running to our car (after a long day of volleyball) in the semi-darkness.  I forgot in my rain washed state, that Melba's Tahoe has a 40 foot trailer hitch hanging off the back bumper.  (OK, I'm exaggerating for effect here).  (It's only 20 feet) .  Anyhoo...... I managed to catch my knee on the bumper, full tilt 40 mph, and threw myself in the wet grass, pretty much screaming..."I've broke my knee......I've broke my knee."   Of course, Hallie and Melba are NO help, as they are laying on the ground, rolling, laughing at me.....and they manage to pick my old butt up off the soaked ground, put me in the Tahoe, and laugh at me all the way back to the hotel.  Amazingly enough, my broken knee, after a good night sleep, and an 800 mg ibuprofen, was just fine the next day, and to my disappointment, nary a scratch nor bruise.  Like it didn't even happen.   Neat.

One month old.....what?

I haven't blogged in a while.

So much has happened.   My grandson, Deaton is here.

In fact, he's a month old.

  He has in a blink of an eye, gone from this precious little sleeping sac of yumminess.....


to this precious little dimpled ham.  He is loud, poops like a machine, eats like a lumberjack and has grown 3 pounds and 2 inches in 4 short weeks.

He is perfection. 

We got the wonderful pleasure of having him for 2 days, while his daddy went to a work retreat, and mommy didn't think she could do all nighters 2 days in a row.

After having that little cry bag, I have to agree.  If he is burped, full, and dry diapered, he is terrific.
If he is partially one of the above things, he is NOT a happy camper.  He doesn't like to be hot, swaddled in ANY way, and loves watching loud kids.  That works out, since I have 4 of those living with me.

Very fun.  Though I was so tired, I was cross eyed, the minute they left to go home, I started missing them.  He is just precious.

I've been putting a Daily Dose of Deaton  (DDoD) on Instagram, (when his mommy isn't too cross eyed to send me a daily pic) and I love these little drops of sunshine.  It's fun, it's exciting, and he really is the most precious grandson I have ever had.

Smile.

In all of this perfection, though, I have such a deep depression going on inside, and I can't pinpoint why or where it is coming from.  The kids are all doing good.  Baby is healthy.  Work is good.

I can't pinpoint it, but when I figure it out, I will share because I think it's real courage to share the hard with the good.

And the hard is kicking my butt right now.  I will figure it out though.  Because there is so much wonderful out there in my life.....I have to find it.  I think God's timing is perfect, and it will all be good. 

So glad Kip got to come home and meet Deaton.  I had such a sick headache in this pic, I don't even remember that day very much, but it looks like everyone had fun.  :)  

God is good, even through times of extreme worry and sadness, All the Time He is Good.

Duggar Drama

I have always been a BIG fan of 19 kids and counting.

Anyone that can be that organized and raise 19 kids, and give birth to 19 kids, and still be "together" enough to even string a sentence together, forever has my highest praise.

Then this week happened.

Apparently, Josh Duggar, the eldest son of the giant clan, had some issues when he was a teenager.

Let me just state my opinion here....he was WRONG in what he did.   WRONG.

Now.

If you live in Oklahoma, you have experienced torrential rains, tornadoes, high winds, extreme weather.  Some days, you are thrilled to death to have the weather men on your tv, reporting where that F-5 is about to touch down.....other days,  it seems like the weather men are REPEATING every sentence 3 times in a row, and just showing old footage to make sure they stay on the air.  In other words, they are beating a dead horse.

My point is......They are beating a DEAD DEAD horse. 

For.the.love.of.all.that.is.holy...... Josh Duggar was 14 years old.   FOURTEEN.  I have a fourteen year old in my house, and I'm pretty sure she is not the brightest tool in the shed (if you catch my drift).  14 year olds are CLUELESS.

LET ME REPEAT MYSELF HERE,   What he did was WRONG.

BUT, HE was 14 years old.  He was severely dealt with, and 12 years later.....the girls he touched have been apologized to, counseled with, loved on and MOVED on with their lives.  His WIFE knew of all of this.

So, here is a low life scum of the world, digging for dirt, tabloid, that "Breaks" this story.

Imagine if you will, all your past sins (10-15-20 years ago) being thrown to the World for scrutiny.  Holy Moly.  I hope that never happens to me.   I was molested when I was a tween.  I hope to God above the heavens and hills that it never comes up again.  I have worked through it, dealt with it, and NEVER wish to relive it again.

I feel sick for all of the people involved in this.  I feel outrage that TLC has pulled their show.  I cannot BELIEVE that Josh Duggar lost his job.  It's just all ridiculous.   He is paying (and paying big) AGAIN, for his childhood mistakes.

The victims, the accused, they have moved on with their lives.  What if TLC had used this for a wonderful way to help people deal with molestation?    Comparing this show to Honey Boo Boo's mom's molester boyfriend is just ludicrous.  He is a MOLESTER NOW, been to jail as an ADULT molesting children.  This was a kid (a very SHELTERED kid), acting out.

REPEAT, WHAT HE DID WAS WRONG.

But....he was stupid 14 years old.  He hasn't done anything inappropriate since that time.

God forgives EVERYONE of ANY SIN.  You ask for forgiveness, you TURN FROM THE SIN, and you DO IT NO MORE.

Josh Duggar did that.  His family went through hell during that time I am sure.  And they still maintain their morals, their love of God, and have done a tremendous job of raising 19 human beings.

Let anyone among you, that has NOT sinned......throw that first stone......

Please don't ever look too hard in my background..... God has made me new.   And because of that, I am held blameless for my past wrongs.  THANK GOD for that.

Josh Duggar has paid the price for his sin, let's move on to something far more important...... making sure we live our life the way God wants us to......as adults......and talking with our 14 year olds about wise choices and respecting privacy.

Molestation is rampant.  If you haven't been molested, count yourself lucky.  Learn from this.  Protect your kids with knowledge.  It's a hard subject, but a very real one.

And let God be the judge, not you.

As for me, I hope TLC pulls their head out and puts that moral high road show BACK on the air.... it's a breath of fresh air.   We are subjected to Mistresses, Bachelorettes, Fifty Shades of Porn, Teen Sex on just about any channel.....we need more of the Duggars.  Not less.

That's all I have to say about that. 

5-11-15

Well other than being a palindrome, this day rated in one of the top 5 of my life. 

My grandson was born. 

He missed my birthday by 2 days, and Mothers day by 1 and that's ok by me, because He will have a fun palidrome birthday for his entire life.  Frontwards or backward the numbers are the same  5-11-15. 

Amazing.   Just like him.

Lacey has been running a Blood Pressure (BP) that has been on the risky, high side pretty much the last 3 months of this pregnancy.  She's swollen like a sponge on steroids, and had no feeling in her fingers for weeks. 

Ah, the bliss of pregnancy.

She started having strong braxton hicks on Friday night.  And had them for 3 days.  With the storms on Friday night, I sat in my house helpless, unable to even think about getting to her, even if she were to deliver her baby in the front room floor.  Thankfully that didn't happen, and on my birthday  (I'm 8, by the way, that's a whole other story), I chose to head to Shawnee and hang out with the pregnant lady and watch and see what happened.

We ate brownies, laughed like hyenas, watched a movie, ate grams chicken and dumplings and then the kids and I headed for Norman.   No baby.   On Sunday, Lifechurch.tv launched it's 24th location in Shawnee OK and the kids and I were there for the launch and helped Tyler herd and wrangle kids in the classrooms and still....no baby.  

Thankfully, yesterday, Monday...she had a doctors appointment and of course, her BP was through the roof, and the doc said, "Whatcha wanta do" and my very pregnant OVER IT daughter, opted for a C-section and 5 hours later....my heart was stolen from my body.

But of course Gram & I had cheetos and Snickers whilst we waited. 

 

Because of her c-section, we were all in the waiting room, waiting to hear......anything.   This picture was on Tyler's brother's phone and my heart was gone. 

Shortly after, I got to see this....and seriously?  I told everyone in that hospital....more than once, too....that my daughter just gave birth to the most beautiful baby in the world. 

All is right with the world. 

He's a big 8 lb 4 oz, and he has darling tiny fuzz hair, and a dimple on his right cheek.  He makes sounds when he sleeps, he LOVES his daddy, ADORES his mommy, and he wasn't a fan of the bath. 

Lacey is doing amazing, she has the compression belt (a gift from the Csection Gods) so her guts don't feel like they are going to fall out on the floor, and a few nice pain medication to help her get up, shower, scrub and feels like about $50 bucks.  Not a million, or even a hundred yet, but she feels like $50. 

I love his tiny little hat that has his name all over it, a gift from one of Lacey & Tyler's million friends.  Facebook literally blew up last night as I started posting pics.  It was slightly awe-inspiring.  I had to turn my phone on and off twice because it kept locking up, I was getting so many notifications.  Lacey was reading through some of the comments, and finally threw her phone down and moaned, "I can't keep up". 

I do believe he might be the most anticipated baby in the history of mankind.  Or the history of Lauraland.  

Everyone says....OMG I see Tyler....he's just a tiny Tyler.  And Yes,  He does look like Tyler.....but I have to argue that almost 31 years ago, this beauty came on the scene and there's no denying who his mom is, either. 

Same hair, same eyes, same lips, same ears.  This kid has his dad's hands, feet and lungs.  Truth. 

It melts your heart out of your body to see this giant man love his son...

 They did a ton of skin to skin contact today, keeping his sugar level elevated, so his stats would stay good.  Deaton dug it A Lot.  For Tyler's sake, I just did skin to shirt contact with him.  He likes me ok, too, even with the shirt. 

We are all in love and enamored with a tiny little human named Deaton Alan Holt.  He is our prince, our prize, our hearts.  He is one lucky little boy to have those two for parentals.  They are naturals. 

Welcome to our world, brother of my Laynie.  You have some pretty big tiny shoes to fill.  And she will guide you.

As we were in the waiting room, and I was nervously scrolling though all my apps, doing ANYTHING to keep from worrying, I jumped on Timehop and found this gem....

Notice the date...

May 11, 2008..... Laynie Hope was dedicated by Miles Paluden at Lifechurch Edmond.   7 years later, her brother was born on the very same day.

There are no coincidences in God's great plan.  And what an honor to have a front row seat at the show. 

God is Good all the time.  

And did I mention I have the most beautiful grandchild in the whole world?

 

Prayer and Power

We are talking about prayer at church.

It is powerful and true.

I used to say the vague, general prayer.  Enough to bless the food, keep me safe as I slept, keep the kids safe.  And I didn't say them very often, either, if I'm being superbly transparent here.

Then Laynie came.

Laynie, as you all know, was the game changer.

As I listened to Craig unpack his message today, I felt chills and I felt tears.  So thrilled that I am a sold out Jesus Freak now, and that without the hardest, most trying time in my life, I wouldn't be who I am today.

Craig drew a circle on the board and wrote in 4 things....the cycle of Prayer and Life as I know it now...

1st of all-   Share.  You have to actively share God with everyone.  My Grandpa, God rest his soul, was a religious zealot.  He talked to everyone and I MEAN EVERYONE about God.  He was over the top, out of this world in love with the Bible and God and the message of Grace.  But he was so OVERZEALOUS in his attempt to share His religious beliefs....he could turn people off in a heartbeat.  People like me.  I semi didn't like church because of the religious zeal he delivered his "Are you going to heaven, Laurie or HELL"  Uhm, grandpa I just wanted a glass of water.  So, I get it.  I understand the hesitation some people have with sharing God.  No one gets it better than me.

But my family went through a painful, wonderful, life-changing time.  God gave us a story to share that would and could help people.   We could have set back and shook our fists to the heavens and said, "GOD why us?  Why did this happen to us?" but instead we took the story he gave us, and we shared it with others.  And in the prayer life I developed when I was praying and looking for answers in the bible....that ONLY I could find there..... I developed a deeper understanding of the grace, mercy and power that only God can give you, when you are walking through a valley.

And the most wonderful thing of all......when you are sharing with others, your story of grace and goodness....your focus on life becomes outward.....you focus less and less and less on  yourself and your struggles and your wants and desires.....it becomes a life of peace and trust that I can't explain to you.

This is the cycle of prayers..... Sharing your story, getting a deeper understanding, and focusing less on yourself. and because of that you share your story, get a deeper understanding...and on and on.....when people look at me and say,  "you are genuinely happy, and I want to know how you do it"...that's my secret....that's the magic ingredient....prayer, sharing and outward focus.  The magic cycle.

There is a new show on CW called "The Messenger".  It has already been cancelled, which doesn't surprise me at all, because it deals with the final days.  The premise of this show is that the devil has showed up to wreak some havoc and bring the world to an end.  There are 6 people (messengers) trying to figure out his next move and stop him.   (this is a pitiful explanation of this show, but for lack of time, I'm going with this flimsy critique)....

But here's where I'm going.  The Devil won't show himself to you all scary and spooky.  You won't want to run from him, because He will present himself as everything you want.  His ultimate goal is to kill, steal and destroy.   He is depicted in this show as a beautiful man, who says everything you want to hear, and ultimately takes your happiness, your well-being, your strength, your independence, your life.  He tempts you, he seduces you, he gets you right where he wants you, and he then ruins you.

It is so powerful to watch this terribly acted show, yet see exactly what I fear happen to these people.  This devil knows how to pull the strings of your heart and makes you his puppet and you don't even know it is happening.

But here's the good news. ..  The closer you are to God, and living in His pocket, the less likely you are to be seduced by the devil.   I worry for the "part-time christians"...the Christian I used to be.  I was easily swayed by the devil, because I didn't live in God's pocket.  He took my life, he shook me and took me on a roller coaster from hell that almost destroyed me.  I was going to church, tithing, doing everything I thought I needed to do to be a Christian....

And the devil had his way with me.  And I was powerless to stop him.  I finally took control of my life in 2004.  I said NO MORE to the devil and I changed my life.  Lacey invited me to Lifechurch and I found hope there.  And when God shook us to our core in 2007, with our precious gift, Laynie....I learned to lean on Him and rely solely on His grace and mercy.  I became a warrior for God.  I remain a warrior for God.

And it changed my life.   Now I say, "Ah, HELL NO" to the devil and He still comes at me, but I realize it's Him, because I live in God's pocket.  He tries to pull me out, but I'm planted pretty firmly in that pocket.

I worry about my friends that are seduced and attracted to the Devil's snare.  You don't even realize it's there, he makes it looks so inviting.

Even typing this I am doubting I will push PUBLISH because the Devil doesn't want me putting out this word of caution and HOPE that your life can change.

If you are mired in a despair of infidelity, of addiction, of chaos, of no hope.....it can change in a second, just stop and PRAY and MEAN it, and be specific in your desires and ask for help from me or a Christian friend....I believe in the power of prayer and when two or more gather in HIS NAME and ask for the same specific request....GOD HEARS.

I want everyone to feel the peace I have and to understand we are on the FRONT LINE and it's our job to be a light in a world of Darkness.....

Be BOLD and SPecific in your prayers.....Be ACTIVE in Sharing.....And know with a full understanding that when you are powered by the HOLY SPIRIT, your light will be a CONTAGIOUS faith....and your life will be the LIFE that EVERYONE wants.

I know....because it's mine.

God is GOOD....all the time.